2003 Labor Film Series
FRIDAY, 5 September. 8 p.m.
IL POSTO (THE SOUND OF TRUMPETS/THE JOB, Ermanno Olmi, Italy 1961,
93 min., Italian with subtitles) This simple, comic, yet insightful
story follows a young man through the initial months of his first job
in a large, impersonal corporation. Director Olmi's (The
Tree of Wooden Clogs) early documentary training is abundant in this late neorealist
gem. The non-professional male and female leads won prizes for the
film at both the 1961 Venice and London film festivals.
FRIDAY, 12 September. 8 p.m.
ROCHESTER
PREMIERE. A GRIN WITHOUT A CAT (LE FOND DE L'AIR EST ROUGE, Chris
Marker, France 1977/1993, 179 min.) Described by Marker (La Jetée,
Sans Soleil) as "Scenes from the Third World War",
this epic essay knits together footage of Vietnam, Che Guevara and
Paris '68 in an arresting commentary on the role of the New Left
in international affairs. Restored and re-worked by the director
in 1993,
the film still retains its relevance and intensity in light of recent
protests and possible pre-emptive attacks.
FRIDAY, 19 September. 8 p.m.
ROCHESTER PREMIERE. THE SON (LE FILS, Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne,
Belgium/France 2002, 103 min., French with subtitles) A carpenter
(Olivier Gourmet - winner of the Cannes Film Festival's
Best Actor prize) knowingly takes on as his apprentice the 16-year
old boy responsible for his son's death. Withholding his
knowledge from the oblivious assistant, the craftsman develops
a tentative relationship with the boy that leads to an emotionally
shattering conclusion. This viscerally enthralling drama with
innovativepoint-of-view camera work is from the realist-humanist
pair of Belgian brothers who brought us Rosetta and La
Promesse.
FRIDAY, 26 September. 8 p.m.
THE ERRAND BOY (Jerry Lewis, US 1961, 92 min.) Oh Laaaady! The frantic,
fumbling Jerry takes on an entry-level job at a big time Hollywood
studio and "go figure" chaos ensues. The hilarious gag-filled
episodes recall classic silent comedy, the films of Jacques Tati,
and Lewis' own The Bellboy. Plus: Charlie Chaplin wreaks his own kind
of havoc at a movie studio in HIS NEW JOB (Charles
Chaplin, US 1915, 20 min.)
FRIDAY, 3 October. 8 p.m.
ROCHESTER PREMIERE. Visiting Artist Robert M. Young presents ALAMBRISTA! - THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
(THE ILLEGAL, Robert M. Young, US 1977, 96 min.) This gentle, beautifully shot film follows a Mexican
farm worker who makes the illegal trek North to California and soon discovers that America is hardly
the land of milk and honey. Alambrista!'s relevance is reflected in the impact of NAFTA
and recent laws to limit the influx of undocumented workers. Veteran Producer and Director Young (Triumph
of the Spirit, Short Eyes) will answer questions following the screening of his recently re-cut
and re-scored debut feature.
FRIDAY,10 October. 8 p.m.
ROCHESTER PREMIERE. THE NAVIGATORS (Ken Loach, UK 2001, 92 min.) Political filmmaker and agent
provocateur Loach tackles the effects of privatization on British Rail employees and
their families in England. The story follows a group of men who must adjust to new, more difficult
working conditions when they are informed that their government jobs have been sold off to the highest
bidder. Utilizing a fictional take on real historical events, Loach again chronicles the crippling
effects of corporate strategies on the working classes.
FRIDAY, 17 October. 8 p.m.
ROCHESTER PREMIERE. FROM THE OTHER SIDE (Chantal Akerman, France 2002, 99 min.,
video, English and French and Spanish with subtitles) Acclaimed Belgian filmmaker
Akerman's powerful new documentary was shot alohe Arizona-Mexico border where
Mexicans trying to find work cross illegally every day. This heartbreaking and
compassionate study of migrant workers and American property owners
maintains a respectful and artful dnce from its subjects while still
offering a thorough, journalistic report.
FRIDAY, 24 October 8 p.m.
BURN! (QUEIMADA!, Gillo Pontecorvo, Italy/France 1969,
112 min) In this story based on historical fact, thefascinating
Marlon Brando plays William Walker, a British agent who is sent
to a Caribbean
Island in 1845 to teach black sugar plantation workers the art
of revolution against the Portuguese landowners. Though Walker's
intentions are for the British to eventually gain control, his plans
are thwarted when the charismatic revolutionary leader he installed
refuses to accept any sort of colonization. This rousing political
adventure is the equal of radical filmmaker Pontecorvo's The
Battle of Algiers.
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